February 05, 2021

Not a Snowball's Chance


Not a Snowball's Chance
They think the snowman doth protest too much. Balazs Benjamin, pexels.com

One wouldn’t expect it to be an issue for a snowman to be left out in the cold, but in the village of Zachachye in Arkhangelskaya Oblast, four such fellows were found wanting for warmth.

Following the January 23rd protests decrying the maltreatment of Alexei Navalny, activist Yelena Kalinina rallied for a small gathering of her own. She packed four distinguished frosties into the yard of her Zachachye home, each brandishing a different slogan: “Down with the Tsar,” “Vova [Vladimir], it’s over between us,” “It’s our country!” and “Peace to the cottages, and war to the palaces."

The following day, police came to Kalinina’s village to throw cold water on the affair. They snatched the pickets of Kalinina’s friends, and then took her away for questioning, though she reported to RFE/RL’s Russian Service that she accrued no fines.

Kalinina’s release came as cold comfort; while they escaped destruction, the snowmen were too chilled by the events to comment.

 

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Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
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